Clan Spalding

The Willingham Collection

Elizabeth Spalding Wylly Willingham

The original Elizabeth Spalding Wylly Willingham Collection is an extensive collection of documents, journals, manuscripts and artifacts she collected over her lifetime. The collection represents the families of Spalding, Wylly, Mackintosh, Dunwody (Dunwoody), Leake, McDonald and others relating to coastal Georgia. Elizabeth grew up on the coast of Georgia absorbing the stories of her ancestors and appreciating the ties that bound them to the land.  Her love of Georgia history was ingrained at an early age, below is a brief reference to her parents.

Charles McDonald’s parents, like Thomas Spalding’s parents, were Scottish Immigrants and were prominently established in the coastal regions of South Carolina and Georgia since the 1700s. Charles McDonald had served Georgia as a Senator, a Judge, a Brigadier General and Governor of Georgia. As Governor McDonald was a strict constructionist which led him to support a state's ability to secede from the Union and to reject the Compromise of 1850. As the sitting Governor, McDonald gave the opening oratory at the Convention of 1850 but he could not persuade Georgians to leave the Union. This was in major part due to Thomas Spalding of Sapelo. As the Convention’s Chairman and loyal Unionist, Spalding’s oratory successfully persuaded Georgians to stay in the Union. Thus a civil war was avoided for 10 more years as Georgia was the linchpin to any succession by the southern states. Thomas Spalding after leaving the Convention, aged and feeble, knowingly gave what he knew would be his last bit of strength to his country. He made it as far as his mainland estate of Ashantilly before dying the following day, never to see his Sapelo again. Spalding’s political antagonist Charles McDonald died just a few years later, both were spared the devastation brought upon their beloved State.

Ironically Governor McDonald’s granddaughter married the Convention Chairman Thomas Spalding’s grandson. They were Ella McDonald Dunwoody and Alexander Campbell Wylly,  the parents of Elizabeth Spalding Wylly Willingham of whom the collection belonged. Miriam Willingham Lukken and her daughters are now the caretakers of the extensive collection.

COL. (CSA) Randolph Spalding, circa 1861

Private collection of manuscripts and papers

Lt. COL. (CSA) Charles Spalding,  (circa 1884)

Private collection of manuscripts and papers

Thomas Spalding II,  (circa 1866)

Private collection of papers and manuscripts

Thomas Spalding II was accidently killed in a railroad mishap in Macon, Ga he was on his way to Atlanta to reinstate his partnership with the same Scottish Bankers that his grandfather and many paternal ancestors in Edinburgh had prospered with.

Sarah Leake Spalding was portrait painted at the Imperial Palace of Tuileries, Paris (circa 1800) by an unknown court painter while her husband Thomas Spalding of Sapelo was waiting for an audience with Napoleon. Sarah Leake was the granddaughter of Clement Martin who owned Jekyll Island in its entirety. Jekyll Island was given to Sarah’s parents Richard and Jane Leake as a wedding present in 1774. Before the transfer of title could be completed the Revolutionary War broke out, Clement Martin Sr as a loyalist fled Georgia in 1775. After the War Richard Leake who reportedly was also a loyalist, but never ill treated or added to the Bill of Attainder, acted as the administrator of his father-in-law’s estates and was able to regain Jekyll Island. After several years of ownership he finally sold Jekyll and moved to his large mainland estate of Belleville. The provenance of the portrait has been well documented over the last 200 years. First it decorated the walls of Thomas Spalding’s home on St Simons Island and then on Sapelo. Later at Ashintully with Thomas’ son Charles Spalding, and afterwards with Charles’ nephew Thomas Spalding ll. Randolph Spalding, nephew of Thomas ll, eventually gave the portrait to Elizabeth Spalding Wylly Willingham and today is in the home of her great granddaughter Elizabeth Lukken Peschock of Skidaway Island, GA.